Agricultural Diversification: A Comparative Study of Flood-and Drought-Prone Areas of Rajasthan

This study has compared the cropping pattern in two districts having contrary climatic conditions. The districts chosen were Bikaner, a drought-prone district and Kota, a flood-prone district. The study has identified diversification pattern using Transformed Herfindahl Index (THI). It has also compared the change in area for a particular crop in a year in relation to the annual rainfall in the previous year. The study has found that the farmers in Bikaner opt for oilseeds and allocate more area to this crop as it is drought-resistant, whereas the farmers in Kota prefer cereals as the district gets a good amount of rainfall. Though farmers grow water-intensive crops, such as rice and wheat as they get MSP for these crops but still the climatic conditions in Rajasthan are favourable to the crops which require less water. The government should include pulses and oilseeds in MSP as it will boost the farmers’ confidence to grow these crops. The area-specific cropping pattern should be planned to increase farmers’ income in Rajasthan.